Tuesday, June 30, 2009

I met up with my friend G. last night for dinner in the city. I haven't seen her in about 2 years so I was pretty excited to catch up.

We had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory which is situated high up on the sky terrace of Macy's. The restaurant was packed with tourists so it was a long wait. We didn't mind since we got to enjoy the view of Union Square.

We were finally seated after 35 minutes and proceeded to order. I had the Thai lettuce wraps which were NOM!

As we were stuffing our faces, she asked the question. The question that I was hoping she wouldn't ask, "So how was Ireland?". I corrected her and said, "you mean NORTHERN IRELAND which is part of the UK not the Republic of Ireland." "Yeah, Ireland", she said, "I'm so jealous. Ireland is so beautiful!". I was screaming in my head Ugh! It's not Ireland! Whatever. I proceeded to tell her, "Yes, it's beautiful for about a week! It kind of gets old. And you can't really see much of it because it's pissing down with rain!". She then asks me about HopAlong and when we plan to marry and where we're getting married and if she can see my engagement ring. She looks at it and says, "That's not an engagement ring! It's not a diamond!". "It's a ruby", I said, "He chose it because it's my birthstone and the diamonds surrounding it are his birthstone. I didn't want a diamond anyway." "Oh, that's cute," she says. Cute. Cute?!?

Her phone rings just in time to change the subject. She hangs up and lets out a big sigh. I ask her who it was and if anything is the matter. She says, "Oh it's M. He says he needs to be picked up from school." "M? Who is M?". "He's my husband", she says. I almost choked on my lettuce wrap, "You're WHAT?!?!?". She lets out a chuckle and says, "I forgot to tell you. I'm married now." Hmmmm. How can one forget to tell you they are married? Strange. She tells me about their weddingin Vegas at some drive-thru chapel. The officiant sounded like Vincent Price and the red velvet curtains were dusty. All I could do was nod my head because I was still in shock over the husband part.

"So do I get to meet him?", I ask. "Of course", she says enthusiastically, "We're picking him up at North Beach. We can have cappuccino and tiramisu at Steps of Rome." We pick up the check and drive out to North Beach. She circled around the block repeatedly and was frustrated. She called him on his cell but it went straight to voicemail. "Didn't he tell you where he was waiting?", I asked. "Yeah", she said, "Columbus Avenue." "But Columbus is a long street!", I said. She calls and calls and calls and after 20 minutes he finally answers his phone and says that he's waiting at the bus stop. "Which one?", she yells. We finally see him standing at the bus stop with his suitcase.

We stop over at the Steps of Rome and had the most decadent tiramisu. It was heavenly!

M. seemed very nice. Although, it was awkward and it was weird just 2 years ago, she was single. I guess a lot can change in 2 years. I congratulated them both and raised my cappuccino cup.

It was too late to take the train home so she suggested I crash at their place. I woke up in the morning to find everyone has gone to work or school. She leaves a note on the door saying that I can help myself to anything in the kitchen and to make sure the door was locked when I leave. I took a shower, got dressed and headed out the door. She lives in the Avenues near Ocean Beach. It was foggy and I could smell the sea in the air. I walked to the bus stop on the corner and hopped on the 38 Geary back to downtown. By the time we got to 6th Avenue, the bus was packed like a sardine can. Commuters. On O'Farrell, some guy that stunk to high heaven got on the bus. Everyone rushed to the back of the bus, what little room there was, to avoid the stench, their faces pressed up against the pole bars and each other. Luckily, I was seated near the window and covered my nose with my scarf. I laughed to myself. Ah! How I've missed the joys of riding on the Muni.

When I reached the Ferry Building, I bought myself a hot chocolate and a croissant at Peet's and boarded the ferry.

The ferry is definitely the way to go! And as we headed out into the bay, I saw the Golden Gate Bridge peaking out of the fog. I've been here my whole life and everytime I see that bridge, it never ceases to take my breath away. She's such a beauty. I guess you have to be a native San Franciscan to really understand what I'm talking about.

Monday, June 29, 2009

You're probably asking yourself what the heck happened to my banner. Well folks, I am saddened to report that "Flippin' Yank in Norn Iron" is extinct. In its place is the birth of a new Flippin' Yank and HopAlong adventure...San Fran ♥ Belfast!

As you may have gathered from the last post, Belfast and I have officially broken up. We're just not right for each other. To continue our relationship would be a big fat lie just like Jon and Kate Plus 8. So here I am back in San Francisco for good. HopAlong and I have decided that it would be best for us to marry and plant our roots in California. We've had a year to weigh out the pros and cons. And judging from the whiny posts the last few months, my list of cons keep growing longer and longer. I tried people. I really did. But why continue to wear a pair of shoes that don't fit and make you very uncomfortable? And let's face it, Belfast just really isn't my style.

I like the energy of sprawling urban cities, multiculturalism, diverse neighborhoods, ethnic foods, limitless activities and cultural events. I like it when the sun shines more than 14 days a year. Most of all, I want to be able to walk outside my door and feel like I can be myself and not feel inhibited. Belfast fails to offer me these things. When I mentioned this to HopAlong he said, "It took you a year to figure this out?". What he really wanted to say was, "I told you so." Belfast does have some redeeming qualities. Unfortunately, those quailities weren't enough to keep me there and it's not a place where I see HopAlong and I for the long haul. No doubt HopAlong is ecstatic about this decision because he LOVES, LOVES, LOVES, LOVES San Francisco. I don't blame him. :)

Do I have regrets? A big resounding NO! How many people come to Belfast can say, "I live just a block away from the infamous Peace Line?" That in itself is pretty amazing. I am reminded of this everyday when I see tourists frantically snapping photos of the murals in awe and riding up and down the Shankill with gaping mouths wide open. I have seen an intimate side of life here that most would not have the opportunity to witness, which is definitely not something you can experience on an open-top tour bus or as a student on the insular grounds of Elm's Village. My experience here was one-of-a-kind. Living in West Belfast (as a Catholic in a hardcore Loyalist area no less) was frustrating and sometimes made me bitter. Yes, the streets there still seethe with sectarianism. Sectarianism is alive and well. Nevertheless, I have met and have gotten to know the most kindhearted, generous, warm, and hospitable people I have ever known. Very honest, down-to-earth, witty and a sense of humor that makes your belly ache from laughter. This is what I LOVED most about Belfast! The people. (Well most of them anyway.) I am especially forever grateful for HopAlong's family for taking me in and welcoming me with open arms as one of their own. My heart is heavy knowing that I will no longer hear Big Eva refer to me as her "wee girl."

So what's in store for the new chapter? Repatriation, the complexity of our transatlantic long distance relationship which no doubt will be a true test of resilience, HopAlong pining away for me and crying his eyes out because he's still stuck in Belfast, the dreaded fiance visa process, eventual wedding plans, and much more!

Stay tuned, put on your seat belts and brace yourselves because we're in for a bumpy ride...

Saturday, June 27, 2009

I'm terribly sorry I had to do this through a letter, this is not easy for me at all, honestly. This note will be the last memory you'll ever have of me, I'm bouncing and not looking back.

Don't let it get you all upset inside, San Francisco has and will always be my first love. It is because of your history of problems that keep me from being even remotely interested in continuing this relationship with you.

You'd be much better off finding a person that can deal with your gloomy weather, small-mindedness, intolerance and lack of diversity. I might miss certain things about you such as your green hills, your beautiful countryside, and free healthcare. But what I will really miss the most are your people that I befriended and grew to love. Please take care of them and give them as much sunshine as possible.

I'm so glad this is done and we're going separate directions for good. I hope you will find someone who can appreciate you more than I have.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

My very first and favorite album was Off the Wall (I was 7 years old). This man was responsible for teaching me how to shake my booty. Today's pop music doesn't even compare to the magnitude of talent that was MJ back then. A fucking legend...RIP Michael Jackson.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Here's something you don't see everyday. A man from the "traveller community" climbs the Belfast wheel. A traveller is somebody who lives on a campsite on the edge of a housing estate. You know like the travellers in the movie, Snatch. They are nomadic and travel throughout Ireland. They are viewed as second class citizens here. Jack, the racist, would always refer to them as "dirty, thievin' bastards." Most of them reside in West Belfast.

A 38-year-old man who climbed 200ft to the top of Belfast's big wheel was charged tonight with disorderly behaviour.

The Belfast Eye in the grounds of City Hall was brought to a standstill with tourists trapped in pods for more than three hours last night.

The man, a member of the Traveller community currently engaged in a caravan protest over accommodation in front of City Hall, was also charged with false imprisonment.

A police spokeswoman said he was due to appear at Belfast Magistrates Court tomorrow.

Streets around City Hall were closed to traffic for several hours while crowds watched the drama unfold.

The man, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts, was eventually arrested after a specialist team of firefighters climbed up and got him back to ground level.

The drama unfolded shortly after 6.30pm as commuters and city centre shoppers made their way home past the iconic landmark.

He climbed on top of one of the 42 pods before pulling himself on to the rim of the wheel.

Over the next two hours he clung to the edge of the wheel, occasionally shifting his position or leaning over to look down.

A number of tourists who had been enjoying a trip on the wheel were left stranded in their capsules for the duration of the incident.

Dave Hamilton from Australia said he first became aware of a problem when he saw a pair of jeans dropping to the ground.

“He was just going absolutely nuts, crazy,” he said.

“He was yelling and screaming and slamming his head against the post. I definitely thought he was on something.

“It was very scary, I thought he was going to jump.”

Specially equipped members of the Fire and Rescue Service were deployed to try and bring the man down. They climbed up the middle of the wheel and one of them was seen to have a conversation with the man.

Shortly afterwards he began to climb down of his own accord.

Upon reaching the bottom he was arrested and taken away in a police car.

Members of the Traveller community have been camped outside the front of the City Hall since last week to protest at a lack of sites to accommodate them.

Relatives of the man were among the hundreds of people who gathered behind the City Hall to watch the events.

They did not wish to speak to the press, but said they did not know why he had taken such dramatic action.

One anxious woman who watched from below said: “He was just lying at the top of the wheel with his arms wrapped around it and his legs on it.

“He was there for quite some time.”

Another onlooker said: “It was difficult to see him before he started moving but when he did he was alot clearer.”

The area around City Hall was sealed off by police, with large screens erected to try and shield the immediate site from view.

Belfast councillor and former Lord Mayor Pat McCarthy, who was among those at the scene, said: “I have been up on the wheel myself and you would have to have something wrong with you to want to go up on one of those like that.

“We must be glad that this ended peacefully and that noone was killed or injured.”

A police spokesman said last night that the man had been arrested.

“Shortly after 6.30pm police received reports that a man had climbed onto the Belfast Wheel in the grounds of the City Hall,” he said.

“Emergency services attended the scene along with police negotiators and the PSNI Search and Rescue Team.

“A number of people had to remain in the pods on the wheel during the incident.

“The man was brought down safely by Fire and Rescue personnel shortly after 9pm and was arrested by police.”

Sunday, June 21, 2009

This morning I got a lift to work with Jack, The Racist. He had a lot to say about the unfortunate Romanian situation in South Belfast, "They shouldn't be here. They're all dirty gypo bastards. They're taking our jobs and our benefits! Serves them right. Serves them right."

I just nodded and paid no attention.

I tried to change the subject and said, "Jack, look at that car!" The car ahead of us had their indicator signalling to the right and it made a left turn.

Jack said, "Aye, must be a bloody Fenian. Fuckin' bastards."

He hates most of the people we work with.

He hates all the managers.

He hates the people he sits beside in the canteen eating lunch (those unfortunate enough to have to sit with him).

He hates all the eastern European temp workers or "Polish Bastards" as he likes to refer to them regardless of whether or not they're from Poland, Slovakia or the Czech.

Friday, June 19, 2009

This morning I awoke to the rat-tat-tat of drums echoing throughout the neighborhood, "Oh no, here we go again!".

Flute bands, bonfires, bowler hats, orange sashes, union jacks, and the annoying clash of cymbals at 7AM! Watching it on the BBC last year was enough for me. This year I won't be here to witness this summer-long "hate parade" cuz I'm outta here! Thank fuck!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

A few weeks ago, I was assigned a shift with my favorite guy from Slovakia. Great craic like. He is a tall fellow. I would say about a little over 6 ft tall. He has a deep laugh which he would always end his sentences with, "HA HA HA HAHA"! (In a kind of Oldie Worldie Viking Stylie)

As we were doing our monotonous assignment he says to me, "I must get out of this place. I'm only 30. I feel like I'm wasting my life away. HA HA HA HAHAHA!"

I respond, "Yeah mate, I know what you mean. You're only 30? I thought you were older than me."

"How old are you Craig? HAHAHAHAHA!". He asked.

"I'm 34".

"34? No!. HAHAHAHAHA! You look so young! I thought maybe you were 26 or something. No wrinkles or nothing. How do you stay looking so young? Do you put buttocks on your face, or what?"

"Buttocks?". I asked

"Yes, buttocks. HAHAHAHAHA."

I turned to our supervising manager and ask, "Hey, does it look like I have buttocks on my face?"

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Wow, 20 families fled from their homes as result of the racist attacks? To suddenly target 20 Romanian families is very suspicious. This is starting to look like it was orchestrated by the "powers that be"...if you know what I mean. What the heck are the PSNI doing?

Just the other day, I went to Tesco. On the way there, I always walk by a park where kids are playing. As I was passing by, two 6 year old boys were pointing at me making "Chinese sounds". I tried not to let it get to me since they were just little boys and didn't know any better. The people I should feel most angry about is their parents. You know that saying, "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree?". And I'm sure if I walked over there and told those kids how to behave, their parents would run right over and I'd get a smack down. Not worth my personal safety.

An incident such as this isn't the first time this has happened to me. For example, here and here. In some places, I would get stared down and/or given the stink eye, be completely ignored, or assume that I don't know how to speak English (which also equates to being stupid). I try not to let it bother me but sometimes it does and sometimes it really makes me sick.

I'm not going to lie. I've thought about how much easier it would be to live here if I were Caucasian. At least I can blend in a crowd as long as they don't hear my American accent. This thought has never entered my mind before living in Northern Ireland. I've lived in two other countries, Ghana and Cuba, and I've never had this problem. They would be curious about me but they wouldn't blatantly insult me or make me feel unwelcome in their country because of the color of my skin.

All this made me wonder and got me sleuthing on the interwank. I typed in google, "most racist country" and surprise, surprise...

From Conde Naste (July 26, 2007):

The Most Racist Country in the Western World

Or homophobic, or xenophobic, or anti-semitic.

It's been said that industrialized nations are becoming more intolerant of foreigners, and a provocative new paper in the August issue of Kyklos tries to quantify just how bigoted Western nations are.

The paper's authors used responses from a question in the Human Beliefs and Values Survey -- a twice-a-decade survey of social and political attitudes around the world -- which asked respondents how they would feel about living next to: People of different ethnicities, Muslims, Jews, immigrants or foreign workers, and homosexuals.

The researchers used these answers as a proxy for bigotry in each country. (The survey took place in 1999-2000).

And the most prejudiced country? Drumroll please...

Northern Ireland with an estimated 44 percent of its population saying they wouldn't want to live next to one of the above five groups took the top "prize." Breathing down it's neck was Greece with 43.2 percent and at 37.6 percent Italy rounded out the top three.

(Germany joins the ranks of the most bigoted nations using an alternative measure based on how strong bigoted feelings were among those who had them, the researchers found.)

The United States was estimated to have a 30.4 percent level of bigotry.

On average, about one out of every three people in the 19 countries used in the study were bigoted.

By far the most hated group were homosexuals with an overall average of 19.6 percent of people saying they wouldn't want them as neighbors. Next up were Muslims with 14.5 percent, but since the survey was taken before September 11th, those results might be much different today.

Click here and scroll down for the drop down menu to look at how each country stacks up in the different categories of who didn't want there neighbors to be (a different race, Muslim, Jewish, an immigrant, or homosexual).

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Craig (aka Hop Along) got new spectacles yesterday. Afterwards, we (Craig, his Seester and I) explored the city centre. I urged him to go into my favorite store Avoca because I'm masochistic like that. I say masochistic because I can never afford anything in that store. But Craig said no way, no how. He doesn't like watching me suffer. We then had coffee at Starbucks, sat upstairs and people watched...

We were very intrigued with the guy in the white t-shirt spinning a binder on his finger. Don't ask me why.

We went shopping again. Craig's seester wanted to go into Top Shop and that took 3 hours. And then she wanted to get some makeup and that took another 2 hours. Later we went to the Northern Whig to celebrate Seester's acceptance into Uni...

I had the Mushroom and Blue Cheese soup which was quite tasty.

Craig had the Ribeye steak with pepper sauce he said it was...Nom, Nom!

We both toasted the Seester with Honey Chili Martinis. Although, Craig accidentally ate the pepper and the drink went up his nose and...well you don't wanna know. Seester was laughing her arse off.

Seester and future game developer. Isn't she lovely? Craig shed a tear because his baby seester is all growed up now.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Royal Avenue in 1898, as seen from Castle Junction. Photo courtesy rootsweb.com

Modern day Royal Avenue

The white building to the left is now Tesco Metro, the brownstone next to it is now a bank and a gentlemen's club upstairs, next to the bank is a record store and then Castle Court. The rest of the old buildings you see to the right along this street are just the original facades but nothing behind them. Pity. :(

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

A man got the shock of his life when he opened a loaf of bread and found a whole mouse inside.

North Antrim Magistrates Court heard how a man purchased a Hyndman's malt loaf from a supermarket in the Ballymoney area before Christmas 2007.

When he unwrapped the loaf he discovered the small lifeless mammal embedded in the base of the bread.

The judge fined the company, D Hyndman and Son Ltd, Maghera, £1,000 plus costs for placing unsafe food on the market.

The managing director of the company was present in court to answer the charge.

A defence lawyer told the court that the presence of the mouse was a shock to the company. He suggested it might have been put in the tin to "sabotage" the baker who has been in business for 60 years and has never had any complaints.

The judge was shown pictures of the mouse in the loaf. The court heard that tins in which the bread is baked were oiled the night before they were filled with dough.

Pest control

Some time between the tins being sprayed and being filled, the mouse got into the tin, a prosecuting lawyer said.

"In fairness to the defendant they have engaged pest control services who regularly inspect the premises and did so before this incident," she said.

The defence lawyer said an "onerous inspection" is held at the bakery every six weeks and that two field biologists attend each year. There are 131 bait stations in the premises at present, he said.

Staff carry out daily inspections and two full-time cleaners are employed at the bakery who both work eight hours per day.

In imposing the fine, the judge said he had considered public concern but also the steps taken by the company to ensure proper hygiene.

I have a sneaking suspicion that a Chav was working the assembly line, "Ahahahaha, get that down yer fat neck ya bastard!"

When Craig and I visited the states last April, we got totally hooked on a show called the Deadliest Warrior. Reality tv shows don't come any goofier than this, it's beyond ridiculous. The Deadliest Warrior pits two historical warriors together to see who wins. I found the last episode of the season on youtube and to my surprise, it was the IRA vs. Taliban! Wow, they were really scraping the bottom of the barrel with this one...LOL!

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

I got off the bus and walked around the corner to get on a different bus. A guy on the corner having a smoke at the bus stop said, "It's the same bus, mate." Confused I asked, "Sorry?". He repeated, "It's the same bus!". "Oh, right?". I had no idea what the guy was talking about.

The bus now saying a different route turned the corner and I got on. It was the same bus driver from the first bus as the guy on the corner pointed out. I paid my fare, cool and collected hoping the driver wouldn't notice. I greeted the driver with "Alright?". He remembered me of course because it was just 5 minutes ago. He laughed at me.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Thursday, June 4, 2009

I'm in a Thai phase. Not bad for the first time. It was actually pretty easy! Although, I should have eased up on the curry paste. Craig said, "It's so hot it burns the skin off your bones!". (pffff...amateur)

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

So, I left the house the other morning to walk around the corner to a work mate's house who gives me a lift to work. Half way down the street I hear "YO".

It's 6:30 in the morning and I'm not in the mood to respond to someone who seems to think it's ok to address me as YO, so I walk on. A few seconds later, "YO!". A little louder than the first. On I walk. Then for the third time, louder again. "YOOOOOO!"

So I turned round, there was a short blonde fat woman dressed in pyjamas (of course) standing in her doorway and says in her finest Belfast accent, "Have you any idea what time it is?"

I said, "It's half six."

She says, "right." Then she turned and walked in.

What the fuck is wrong with people these days? When was it acceptable to address people as "YO!"?!!